Over the past week various people from around the archdiocese have
asked for help in reflecting on Arizona's new immigration law. As
readers will know, I've used this space many times in the past to
urge sensible, national immigration reform. Citizens of this country
have a right to their safety and the solvency of their public
institutions. But we undermine those very goals if we ignore the
basic human rights of immigrant workers and their families.

In the case of Arizona state law, Catholics should listen first to
the leaders of the Arizona Catholic community, for obvious reasons.
They know the situation there best. Bishop Thomas Olmsted of Phoenix,
Bishop Gerald Kicanas of Tucson and Bishop James Wall of Gallup, N.M.
(whose diocese includes portions of Arizona) are all excellent
pastors. Their leadership in the coming weeks and months should set
the tone for our own response.

Having said that, it's worth making a few simple observations:

First, illegal immigration is wrong and dangerous for
everyone involved. There's nothing "good" about people
risking their lives for the mere purpose of entering the United
States. There's nothing "good" about our nation not knowing
who crosses our borders and why they're here, especially in an age of
terrorism, drugs and organized violent crime. There's nothing "good"
about people living in the shadows; or families being separated; or
decent people being deported and having to start their lives all over
again, sometimes in a country that they no longer -- or never did --
know.

Second, the new Arizona law, despite its flaws, does
unintentionally accomplish one good thing. Thanks to Arizona, the
urgency of immigration reform and the human issues that underlie it
-- deported breadwinners; divided families; the anxiety of children
who grew up here but do not have citizenship -- once again have moved
to the front burner of our national discussions. Our current
immigration system is now obviously broken. Congress needs to act.

Third, no credible immigration reform will occur if the
effort becomes an exercise in partisan maneuvering. Both of our major
political parties got our country into our current immigration mess.
Both parties bear responsibility for fixing it. Neither will solve it
alone. Unfortunately, the recent national health-care debate
compromised public confidence in some of our key federal lawmakers.
Having pushed through a deeply flawed national health-care bill in
the face of serious concerns and widespread public displeasure,
Congress now faces an equally hard task with an equally volatile
issue. This will require a transparency, patience, spirit of
compromise and bipartisanship rarely seen in Washington in the best
of seasons, and too often completely missing in the recent
health-care debate.

To put it another way: If the immigration debate divides along the
lines of party advantage and slogans, or becomes entangled with very
different and unnecessary issues like same-sex relationships -- then
real people will suffer. And nothing enduring will result.

Finally, we need to remember that America is a nation built
by immigrants. For nearly all of us, our ancestors were immigrants;
and immigrants -- including today's Latino immigrants -- are a
blessing for American society in every sector: our economy; our
culture; and our religious and moral life. The American Catholic
community has a long history of welcoming immigrants and helping them
integrate into, and enrich, our nation's life. Here in Colorado, the
Church will continue that work with all of her energy.